Method and apparatus for sucking an optical fiber

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for sucking a free end of an optical fiber includes a sucking nozzle. The sucking nozzle is positioned downstream of a capstan wheel around which the optical fiber is wound. The opening of the sucking nozzle is positioned within a range of movement of a path line of the free end of the optical fiber. The path line of the end of the optical fiber moves in accordance with the speed of travel of the optical fiber. The sucking nozzle is positioned perpendicular to a plane defined by the path line of movement of the end of the optical fiber and transverse to an axis of the capstan. Thus, the sucking nozzle is positioned to reliably suck a free end of the optical fiber for a broad range of speeds of the optical fiber.

This application is a division of application Ser. No. 07/884,185, filedon May 18,1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,228

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a screening method for conductingtensile strength tests of an optical fiber, a wire or the like byapplying a load thereto and an apparatus for carrying out the method.

2. Description of the Related Arts

In the manufacturing line of an optical fiber, in order to guarantee thebreakage longevity of the optical fiber, a proof test is conducted. Inthe test, a weak portion of the optical fiber is broken and removed byapplying a certain tensile force to a part of the manufacturing line.The test is conducted by using a screening apparatus.

A conventional screening apparatus is described below with reference toFIGS. 16 and 17. FIG. 16 shows a schematic construction of theconventional screening apparatus. FIG. 17 is a sectional view takenalong a line 17--17 of FIG. 16.

The apparatus comprises a feeding roll 1 for feeding out a drawn opticalfiber 2; a capstan wheel 3, around which the optical fiber 2 is wound,for supporting the optical fiber 2 by means of a capstan belt 4; ascreening roll 5; a tension roll 6; a winding roll 7 for winding theoptical fiber 2 to which tension has been applied by a torque betweenthe capstan wheel 3 and the screening roll 5; an arm type feeding dancer8 provided between the feeding roll 1 and the capstan wheel 3; an armtype winding dancer 9 disposed between the tension roll 6 and thewinding roll 7. The feeding dancer 8 and the winding dancer 9 absorb thefluctuation of speed and tension of the optical fiber 2 between thecapstan wheel 3 and the feeding roll 1 and between the capstan wheel 3and the winding roll 7.

According to the screening apparatus, the optical fiber 2 is fed outfrom the feeding roll 1 and tension is applied thereto between thecapstan wheel 3 and the screening roll 5, then, wound around the windingroll 7. The line speed is determined by the drive of the capstan wheel3. The feeding dancer 8 and the winding dancer 9 absorb the fluctuationof speed and tension between the capstan wheel 3 and the feeding roll 1and between the capstan wheel 3 and the winding roll 7. Tension isapplied to the optical fiber 2 between the capstan wheel 3 and thescreening roll 5, and the optical fiber 2 is broken at a low strengthportion thereof. Thus, the low strength portion of the optical fiber 2is not wound around the winding roll 7.

Owing to the screening test, the low strength portion of the opticalfiber 2 is not wound around the winding roll 7. But it is necessary tomanually install the optical fiber 2 on the path line again. JapanesePatent Laid-Open Publication No. 62-91441 discloses that the opticalfiber can be manually mounted on a path line easily by reciprocating aguide roller during drawing process which is required to be continuouslyoperated for a certain period of time.

According to the conventional screening apparatus, the low strengthportion of the optical fiber 2 is not wound around the winding roll 7because the optical fiber 2 is broken at a low strength portion thereofowing to the screening test. But winding operation is suspended when theoptical fiber 2 is broken. Therefore, it is necessary to mount theoptical fiber 2 on the path line manually when the optical fiber 2 hasbeen broken. It is necessary to automatically mount the optical fiber 2on the complicated path line by gripping the optical fiber 2 after it isbroken at the low strength portion. It is particularly difficult toautomatically mount the optical fiber 2 on the winding dancer 9 becausethe optical fiber 2 needs to be turned plural times as shown in FIG. 17so as to absorb the fluctuation of the speed and tension of the opticalfiber.

In addition, it is necessary to suspend the operation or manually rewindthe optical fiber in a subsequent process in order to remove a defectiveportion other than the low strength portion, such as a random thickness,a bubble-mixed portion, a different-diameter portion or an abnormalprojection. Thus, the operation is inefficiently performed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a screening methodfor automatically mounting an optical fiber on the path line thereofwith ease after it has been broken at a weak portion thereof and anapparatus for carrying out the method.

In accomplishing this and other objects, there is provided an apparatusfor automatically screening an optical fiber having: a capstan wheelaround which the optical fiber is wound; a winding roll around which theoptical fiber fed out from the capstan wheel is wound; a screening rollfor breaking and removing a weak portion of the optical fiber byapplying tensile force between the capstan wheel and the winding roll;and a plurality of dancer rolls, disposed between the screening roll andthe winding roll, for absorbing the fluctuation of the feed-out speed ofthe optical fiber and tensile force applied hereto due to the pivotalmotion of an arm. In the above apparatus, as an improved construction,there is a sucking device, disposed downstream of the capstan wheel inthe transporting direction of the optical fiber, for sucking the opticalfiber when the optical fiber is broken; stopping means for stopping theoperation of the capstan wheel when the optical fiber is broken; andautomatic transporting/mounting means for transporting the succeedingportion of the optical fiber to the winding roll when the operation ofthe capstan wheel is stopped as a result of the breakage of the opticalfiber.

In the above construction, a plurality of dancer rolls are provided in apivotal axial direction of the arm; a plurality supporting rolls forapplying tensile force to the optical fiber are provided between thescreening roll and one of the dancer rolls and between the dancer rollsadjacent to each other; and at least a part of the supporting rolls ismovable between the path line of the optical fiber and the move-awayposition thereof.

In the above construction, there are provided detecting mean fordetecting a defective portion of the optical fiber; and cutting means,disposed downstream of the capstan wheel in the transporting directionof the optical fiber, for cutting the optical fiber at a defectiveportion thereof based on information supplied by the detecting meanswhen the defective portion of the optical fiber is passing the cuttingmeans.

In the above construction, the automatic transporting/mounting meanscomprises gripping means for gripping the succeeding portion of theoptical fiber; and the gripping means has a hand of opening/closing typefor gripping the optical fiber.

In the above construction, the automatic transporting/mounting meanscomprises gripping means for gripping the succeeding portion of theoptical fiber; and the gripping means has a sucking/holding device forsucking and holding the optical fiber.

In the above construction, the automatic transporting/mounting meanscomprises gripping means for gripping the succeeding portion of theoptical fiber; and the gripping means has a pair of rotatable rolls forholding the optical fiber therebetween by applying tensile forcethereto.

In the above construction, a capstan belt which is rotatable is providedin contact with the capstan wheel and a feeding dancer which is pivotalis provided upstream of the capstan belt is at the move-away positionand the feeding dancer absorbs the speed fluctuation of the opticalfiber when the automatic transporting/mounting means transports theoptical fiber as the result of breakage of the optical fiber.

According to the above construction, when an optical fiber has beenbroken, the low-strength portion thereof is sucked by the sucking deviceand the drive stopping means stops the capstan wheel and the line stops.As a result, the automatic transporting/mounting means transports thesucceeding portion of the optical fiber to the winding roll. The dancerrolls disposed in the axial direction of the pivotal arm reciprocatesthe supporting rolls, which eliminates a complicated winding of theoptical fiber on the dancer rolls. In addition, the detecting meansdetects defects of the optical fiber which is cut by the cutting means.Therefore, defective portions of the optical fiber are prevented frombeing wound around the winding roll.

In a method for screening an optical fiber in which a screening roll forbreaking and removing a low strength portion of the optical fiber byapplying tensile force thereto is disposed between a capstan wheelaround which the traveling optical fiber is wound and a winding rollaround which the optical fiber fed out from the capstan wheel is wound;and a first sucking device and a second sucking device are disposeddownstream of the capstan wheel and upstream of the winding roll,respectively. The method comprises the steps of: stopping the travel ofthe optical fiber when the optical fiber has been broken; operating thefirst and second sucking devices so that the first sucking device gripsone end portion of the optical fiber disposed downstream of the capstanwheel; and the second sucking device grips the other end portion of theoptical fiber disposed upstream of the winding roll; keeping the secondsucking device operating so that the second sucking device processes theother end portion of the optical fiber wound around the winding roll;and stopping the first sucking device so that the one end portion of theoptical fiber is released from the first sucking device and installed onthe path line of the optical fiber and the one end portion of theoptical fiber is installed on the winding roll.

According to the method, when an optical fiber has been broken, thelow-strength portion thereof is sucked by the first and second suckingdevices and the capstan wheel is stopped and the manufacturing linestops. While the second sucking device grips an end portion of theoptical fiber with tensile force applied thereto, the end portion of theoptical fiber is automatically processed. On the first sucking device,the automatic transporting/mounting device transports the succeedingportion of the optical fiber to the winding roll. Thus, the screeningoperation is resumed.

According to another preferred embodiment, there is provided anapparatus for sucking an optical fiber having a sucking nozzle disposeddownstream of a capstan wheel around which the traveling optical fiberis wound, in which a sucking opening of the sucking nozzle is disposedin the movable range of the path line of the optical fiber which changesaccording to the travel speed of the optical fiber.

According to another preferred embodiment, there is provided anapparatus for sucking an optical fiber having a sucking nozzle disposeddownstream of a capstan wheel around which the traveling optical fiberis wound, in which the sucking nozzle is disposed alongside of the pathline of the optical fiber; and an opening of the sucking nozzle ispositioned to be perpendicular to the path line.

According to the above construction, when an optical fiber traveling ata high speed has been broken, the optical fiber fed out from the capstanwheel is sucked by the sucking device. since the sucking nozzle ispositioned in the movable range of the path line of the optical path,the broken optical fiber can be reliably sucked even though the travelspeed of the optical fiber changes. Further, since the sucking nozzle isdisposed alongside of the path line of the optical fiber, the leadingend of the optical fiber can be easily mounted on the line and thebroken optical fiber can be easily collected.

According to another preferred embodiment, there is provided anapparatus for continuously winding an optical fiber comprising: awinding reel, rotatably supported, for winding the optical fiber; aguide roller disposed in the vicinity of the winding reel and supportedto be movable in a direction along the shaft of the winding reel; acutter for cutting the optical fiber; and a tape sticking device forretaining end portion of the optical fiber which has been cut on thewinding reel.

In the above construction, a slit is formed on a flange of the windingreel; and a detecting means for detecting the position of the slit isformed so that the optical fiber is inserted through the slit at apredetermined rotational position of the winding reel; and the endportion of the optical fiber is retained on the outer surface of theflange by means of a tape.

According to the above construction, the tape sticking device fixes theend portion of the optical fiber to the surface of the winding reel andas such, the optical fiber wound around the winding reel does not loosenduring transportation. Thus, the optical fiber is prevented from beingdamaged. The end portion of the optical fiber is retained with a tape onthe outer surface of the flange. Thus, the end portion of the opticalfiber can be easily processed.

According to another preferred embodiment, there is provided a windingreel for winding an optical fiber around a drum thereof comprising: twoslits provided on a flange of the winding reel, in which the length ofone of the two slits is substantially equal to the distance obtained bysubtracting the radius of the drum of the winding reel from the radiusof the flange; and the bottom end of the other slit does not reach thecylindrical surface obtained when the optical fiber is wound around thedrum to the maximum.

In the above construction, the line connecting the one slit and thecenter of the flange with each other makes an angle 90° or more with theline connecting the other slit and the center of the flange with eachother.

In the above construction, the outer surface of the flange is smooth.

In the above construction, two slits are formed on a flange dividing thedrum into a lead winding portion for winding the forward end of theoptical fiber and a portion for winding the optical fiber are providedon a flange; and the diameter of a flange disposed at an outer end ofthe lead winding portion is smaller than that of the flange dividing thedrum into the lead winding portion and the portion for winding theoptical fiber.

According to the above construction, tape-sticking position can beeasily set. Therefore, the end portion of the optical fiber can beeasily processed. In addition, the forward end and backward end of theoptical fiber are locked on the same plane and the backward end thereofcan be locked at the same position irrespective of the length of theoptical fiber which has been wound around the drum of the winding reel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other objects and features of the present invention willbecome clear from the following description taken in conjunction withthe preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic construction view showing an automatic screeningapparatus, according to an embodiment of the present invention, in whichan optical fiber has been broken;

FIG. 2 is a schematic construction view showing an automatic screeningapparatus, as shown in FIG. 1, in which the optical fiber has beenautomatically mounted on the path line again;

FIG. 3 is a schematic construction view showing a gripping meansaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic construction view showing a gripping meansaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the moving speed ofan optical fiber and the fluctuation of tensile force applied thereto;

FIG. 6 is a schematic construction view showing an automatic screeningapparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a front view showing a sucking device for sucking an opticalfiber according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a front view showing the sucking device shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view showing a continuous winding deviceaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a front view showing the continuous winding device shown inFIG. 9;

FIGS. 11a-11d are is a descriptive views showing winding procedure;

FIGS. 12a and 12b are descriptive views showing the processing of an endportion of an optical fiber;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an example of a winding reel, onwhich an optical fiber is wound, according to the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing another example of a winding reel,on which an optical fiber is wound, according to the present invention;

FIGS. 15a-15d are descriptive views showing the effect obtained by ashallow slit of a winding reel according to the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a schematic construction view showing a conventionalscreening apparatus; and

FIG. 17 is a sectional view taken along a line VI--VI of FIG. 16.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Before the description of the present invention proceeds, it is to benoted that like parts are designated by like reference numeralsthroughout the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a schematic construction of an automatic screeningapparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1shows a state in which an optical fiber has been broken. FIG. 2 shows astate in which the optical fiber is automatically mounted on the pathline again.

The automatic screening apparatus comprises a feeding roll 11 forfeeding out a drawn optical fiber 12; a capstan wheel 13, for windingthe optical fiber 12 around it, which is driven or stopped and supportsthe optical fiber 12 in cooperation with a capstan belt 14 capable ofmoving away from the capstan wheel 13 as shown in FIG. 2. The apparatusfurther comprises a screening roll 15; a tension roll 16; a winding roll17 for winding around it the optical fiber 12 to which tension has beenapplied by torque between the capstan wheel 13 and the screening roll15; and an arm type feeding dancer 18 disposed between the feeding roll11 and the capstan wheel 13.

A winding dancer 19 is disposed between the tension roll 16 and thewinding roll 17. The winding dancer 19 comprises a pivotal arm 20 anddancer rolls 21, 22, and 23 mounted on the arm 20 and spaced from L₁,L₂, and L₃, respectively, from the pivotal center of the arm 20.Supporting rolls 24, 25, 26, 27, and 28 are disposed between the capstanwheel 13 and the screening roll 15, between the screening roll 15 andthe tension roll 16, between the tension roll 16 and the dancer roll 21,between the dancer roll 21 and the dancer roll 22, and between thedancer roll 22 and the dancer roll 23, respectively. The supportingrolls 24, 25, 26, 27, and 28 are reciprocative between the path line ofthe optical fiber 12 and the move-away position thereof. That is, theyare capable of moving upward from the move-away position thereof.

A first sucking nozzle 31-1 for sucking the optical fiber 12 which hasbeen broken is disposed downstream of the capstan wheel 13 in thetransporting direction of the optical fiber 12. The sucked optical fiber12 is accommodated in an accommodating box 32.

A second sucking nozzle 31-2 for sucking the optical fiber 12 and anunshown box for accommodating the sucked optical fiber 12 are disposedupstream of the winding roll 17. An automatic fibertransporting/mounting means 35 comprises a crossfeed device 36 fortransporting the succeeding portion of the optical fiber 12 from thecapstan wheel 13 to a position above the winding roll 17 and atransporting/mounting device 37 for transporting the optical fiber 12from the position above the winding roll 17 to the winding roll 17 andmounting it on the winding roll 17. The crossfeed device 36 and thetransporting/mounting device 37 are supported by a guide rail 38 and aguide rail 39, respectively. A cutter 40 for cutting the optical fiber12 is supported by the guide rail 39. A tape sticking device 41 fixes anend portion of the optical fiber 12 to the outer surface of flange ofthe winding roll 17.

The crosssfeed device 36 and the transporting/mounting device 37 areprovided with a gripping means 71 for gripping the succeeding portion ofthe optical fiber 12. The gripping means 71 comprises a pair of hands 72of opening/closing type. The hands 72 closes to sandwich the opticalfiber 12 therebetween. An unshown motor drives the gripping means 71 totravel along the guide rails 38 and 39.

Another embodiment of the present invention is described below withreference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

A gripping means 151 sown in FIG. 3 comprises a sucking nozzle 152 forsucking the optical fiber 12 with a constant sucking force, for example,20g and holding it. A motor 153 drives the gripping means 151 to travelalong the guide rails 38 (39).

A gripping means 162 shown in FIG. 4, comprising a pair of pinch rollers164 driven by a torque motor 163 with a constant torque, holds theoptical fiber 12 sandwiched between the pinch rollers 164 by applying aconstant tensile force to the optical fiber 12. A motor 165 drives thegripping means 162 to travel along the guide rail 38 (39). In thegripping means 162, the pinch rollers 164 are driven by the torque motor163 at a constant torque irrespective of the travel speed of the motor165. Thus, the optical fiber 12 is held with a constant tensile forceapplied thereto.

The operation of the automatic screening apparatus of theabove-described construction is described below.

Supposing that tensile force applied to the optical fiber 12 at thefeeding roll 11 is smaller than 100 gr and that tensile force of 700 gis applied to the optical fiber 12 between the capstan wheel 13 and thescreening roll 15. If the optical fiber 12 has a low strength portion,the optical fiber 12 is broken between the capstan wheel 13 and thescreening roll 15. Referring to FIG. 1, when the optical fiber 12 isbroken, the reduction of the tensile force of the automatic system isdetected. As a result, the sucking nozzle 31-1 starts sucking theoptical fiber 12. The sucking nozzle 31-1 reduces the pressure of thesuction side by blowing pressurizing air of 5 Kg/cm² to the dischargeside, thus sucking the optical fiber 12 traveling at a speed of 800m/min. While the sucking nozzle 31-1 is sucking the optical fiber 12,the speed of the feeding roll 11 and that of the capstan wheel 13decrease and stop. At this time, the sucking nozzle 31-2 is operated andthe end portion of the optical fiber 12 is processed.

The operation for processing the end portion of the optical fiber 12 iscarried out as follows. First, the tape sticking device 41 fixes theoptical fiber 12 to the flange of the winding roll 17. Then, the opticalfiber 12 is cut by the cutter 40. The optical fiber 12 thus cut issucked by the sucking nozzle 31-2 and accommodated in the accommodatingbox. Thereafter, the operation of the sucking nozzle 31-2 is stopped.Then, the winding roll 17 is replaced with another winding roll that isvacant of the optical fiber 12. These operations are called processingof the end portion of the optical fiber 12. The arm 20 of the windingdancer 19 is fixed at a horizontal position and the supporting rolls 24,25, 26, 27, and 28 move to the highest position to prepare an automaticfiber installation. Upon stop of the capstan wheel 13, the succeedingportion of the optical fiber 12 is gripped by the hand 72 of the rippingmeans 71 of the crosssfeed device 36 between the capstan wheel 13 andthe sucking nozzle sucking nozzle 31-1. Upon upward movement of thecapstan belt 14, the feeding roll 1 feeds out the optical fiber 12. Thegripping means 71 travels along the guide rail 38 of the crosssfeeddevice 36, thus transporting the optical fiber 12 to the position abovethe winding roll 17.

Thereafter, the supporting rolls 24 through 28 move downwardsequentially in the order from the supporting roll 24 to the supportingroll 28, thus forming the path line of the optical fiber 12. The opticalfiber 12 which has been gripped by the gripping means 71 of thecrosssfeed device 36 is gripped by the gripping means 71 of thetransporting/mounting device 37 above the winding roll 17. As a result,the gripping means 71 of the transporting/mounting device 37 movesdownward along the guide rail 39. Then, the end portion of the opticalfiber 12 is fixed to the winding roll 17 vacant of the optical fiber 12.Thereafter, the capstan belt 14 moves downward, thus supporting theoptical fiber 12 on the capstan wheel 13. At this time, the arm 20 ofthe winding dancer 19 is allowed to be pivotal. Thus, the automaticfiber installing operation is completed.

When the moving speed of the gripping means 71 changes during thetransportation of the optical fiber 12, the feeding dancer 18 pivotsbecause he capstan belt 14 is at the move-away position. Thus, therotational speed of the feeding roll 11 is adjusted. As a result, thefluctuation of the moving speed of the gripping means 71 is absorbed andconsequently, the optical fiber 12 being transported has a constanttensile force.

Experiments for installing the succeeding portion of the optical fiber12 on the path line were carried out by using the above-describedscreening apparatus at a moving speed of 800 m/min. The diameter of thefirst sucking nozzles and that of the second sucking nozzle were 20 mm;air consumption was 0.6 m³ /min; and the highest wind speed in thesucking nozzles was 100 m/sec. Fiber waste of approximately 4000 mcollected during 10 times of operation for installing the succeedingportion of the optical fiber 12 on the path line was accommodated in theaccommodating box of 500 mm. On the second sucking side, the opticalfiber 12 traveled about 4 m after it was broken. The second suckingnozzle was 8m distant from the broken position of the optical fiber 12.Therefore, about 4m of the optical fiber 12 was sucked by the secondsucking nozzle. The length of the second sucking nozzle was 1 m. Of 1 m,0.7 m was necessary for processing the end portion of the optical fiber12. The force for sucking the optical fiber 12 was 30 gf. The opticalfiber 12 was not loosened during the processing of the end portion ofthe optical fiber 12. Fiber waste could be sucked. The succeedingoptical fiber 12 could be automatically installed on the path line inexperiments conducted 10 times in these condition.

As apparent from the foregoing description, the second sucking deviceand the tape sticking device are provided in addition to the firstsucking device. Thus, the succeeding optical fiber can be automaticallyinstalled on the path line after it is broken. The apparatus may beapplied to a drawing apparatus. In addition, the apparatus may beutilized to detect defects of a fiber, namely, whether or not the outerdiameter of the fiber is the same throughout its length or resin hasbeen applied uniformly throughout its length and remove a wrong portion.

Comparison is made between the performance of the conventional windingdancer 9 (FIGS. 16 and 17) and that of the winding dancer 19 of thepresent invention. Angle change in the conventional dancer 9 necessaryfor absorbing the fluctuation of a length L is

    Δθ=L/6L

where L is the distance between the pivotal center and the dancer roll.Angle change in the dancer 19 of the present invention necessary forabsorbing the fluctuation of a length L is

    Δθ=L/2(L.sub.1 +L.sub.2 +L.sub.3)

Accordingly, a sufficient absorption capability can be obtained bymaking the distances L₁, L₂, L₃ between the pivotal center and eachdancer rolls 21, 22, and 23 large.

The response to a slight disturbance depends on the rotational inertiaof the dancer rolls 21, 22, and 23 and not so much on the rotationalinertia of the arm 20. FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the movingspeed of the optical fiber 12 and the fluctuation of tensile force inthe conventional winding dancer 9 and the winding dancer 19 of thepresent invention. As shown in FIG. 5, a resonance occurs partially inthe case of the winding dancer 19, which can be solved by adjusting thelength of the arm 20. Resonance fluctuation is approximately 3.5 g whichdoes not differ much from that of the conventional winding dancer 9.Thus, the succeeding optical fiber 12 can be automatically installed onthe path line after it is broken.

The above-described screening automatic apparatus is capable ofautomatically installing the succeeding optical fiber 12 while it isbeing moved with a constant tensile force applied thereto after it isbroken.

As described above, the gripping means 151 and 162 shown in FIG. 3 and 4have gripping operation similar to that of the gripping means 71 havingthe hand 72. In the case of the gripping means 162, the pair of pinchrollers 164 driven at a constant torque holds the optical fiber 12 byapplying a constant tensile force thereto. Further, the fluctuation ofthe moving speed of the optical fiber 12 can be absorbed due to thepivotal motion of the feeding dancer 18 while the gripping means 162 istransporting the optical fiber 12 along the guide rail. Therefore, aconstant tensile force can be reliably kept to be applied to the opticalfiber 12.

Referring to FIG. 6, an embodiment of the present invention is describedbelow. There are provided, between the feeding roll 11 and the capstanwheel 13, a dice 41 for applying ink to the optical fiber 12; anultraviolet ray irradiating oven 42 for hardening the ink applied to theoptical fiber 12; a monitor 43 for detecting a portion if the outerdiameter thereof is different from the outer diameter of the opticalfiber 12; and a detecting device 44 for detecting a projection formed onthe optical fiber 12. A cutter 45 is disposed between the capstan wheel13 and the sucking nozzle 31. The cutter 45 is driven based on a signaloutputted from the monitor 43 and the detecting device 44. The cutter 45is also driven by information indicating the existence of an irregularportion of the optical fiber 12 and bubble-mixed portion formed duringdrawing operation.

According to the apparatus of the above construction, ink applied by thedice 41 to the optical fiber 12 fed out from the feeding roll 11 ishardened by the ultraviolet ray irradiating oven 42. If the opticalfiber 12 has defects, i.e., if it has a portion of a different diameteror an irregular portion, the monitor 43 or the detecting device 44detects that, thus supplying a signal indicating the defect to thecutter 45. The cutter 45 cuts the defective portion of the optical fiber12 when it becomes opposed thereto similarly to the case in which thelow strength portion is broken. Then, the defective portion is removedfrom the optical fiber 12 and then the optical fiber 12 automaticallymounted on the path line. The data of the defective portion may beobtained during the drawing of the optical fiber 12 and a signalindicating the existence of the defective portion is sent to the cutter45. The cutter 45 operates when the defective portion of the opticalfiber 12 becomes opposed thereto. Then, similarly to the above, theoptical fiber 12 is automatically mounted on the path line.

According to the apparatus of the above construction, the defectiveportion of the optical fiber 12 can be automatically removed accordingto the information supplied by the monitor 43 and the detecting device44 in addition to the low strength portion.

According to the automatic screening apparatus of the present invention,the device for sucking the optical fiber which has been broken isprovided. In addition, the automatic fiber installing means is providedto wind and transport the optical fiber which has been broken at adefective point to the capstan wheel while the operation of the capstanwheel is stopped. A plurality of dancer rolls are provided in the axialdirection of the pivotal arm so as to move the supporting roll away fromthe path line. Thus, the automatic fiber installing means performs aneasy operation.

In addition, the capstan belt is moved away from the capstan wheel sothat he feeding dancer absorbs the fluctuation of the moving speed ofthe optical fiber during the installation of the succeeding portion ofthe optical fiber due to the pivotal motion of the feeding dancer. Thus,the optical fiber can be transported with a constant tensile forceapplied thereto.

According to the automatic screening apparatus of the present invention,means for detecting a defective portion of the optical fiber areprovided so that the cutting means cuts the defective portion. That is,the defective portion of the optical fiber can be automatically removedtherefrom. Consequently, it is unnecessary to suspend the operation ofthe line in order to remove the defective portion manually or rewind theoptical fiber in the following process. Owing to this construction, theuse of fewer machines for rewinding the optical fiber suffices foroperation. Hence, a low cost.

A still another embodiment of the present invention is described withreference to FIGS. 7 and 8. A first capstan section of a wire drawingmachine according to this embodiment comprises a first capstan wheel 13around which the drawn optical fiber 12 is wound and rollers 14a through14c, for guiding a first capstan belt 14, which is driven by a mechanismfor driving the first capstan wheel 13. The path line L₁ of the opticalfiber 12 is appropriately determined according the arrangement of thesemembers.

According to a device for sucking the optical fiber 12 of thisembodiment, a sucking nozzle is not provided concentrically with thepath line of the optical fiber 12, but reliably sucks the optical fiber12 not inserted thereinto and traveling at a high speed.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, in the first capstan section, a suckingnozzle 31-1 is disposed alongside of the path line L₁ in the downstreamside of the transporting direction of the optical fiber 12. The suckingnozzle 31-1 is connected with an air hose 31-b, at an intermediateportion thereof, connected with an unshown compression air source and awaste fiber accommodating box 31a at the base portion thereof. A suckingopening 31c disposed at the forward end of the sucking nozzle 31-1 isperpendicular to the path line L₁.

The sucking nozzle 31-1 is a known one. Compressed air introduced intothe intermediate portion thereof through the air hose 31-b circulates inthe sucking nozzle 31-1 in the circumferential direction thereof and israpidly blown out toward the waste fiber accommodating box 31a. Thus,ejecting effect generated by the flow of compressed air generates theforce of sucking the free end of the broken optical fiber 12 into thesucking opening 31c.

Tests for investigating success percentage in sucking the broken opticalfiber 12 mounted on various positions were conducted.

FIG. 7 shows the mounting position of the sucking nozzle 31-1 inconducting the sucking test. FIG. 8 shows the path line of the free endof the optical fiber 12 which travels at different speeds.

First, an investigation for finding the optimum mounting position of thesucking nozzle was conducted. In embodiment 1, as shown in FIG. 8, thesucking nozzle was disposed alongside the path line L₁ as described inthe above-described embodiment. In comparison 1, a Sucking nozzle isdisposed coaxially with a path line as done in the conventional art. Incomparison 2, the sucking nozzle was disposed below the path line. Thetest for examining success percentage in sucking the broken opticalfiber 12 was conducted under the following condition: The diameter ofthe sucking nozzle was 22 mm and air was fed from the air hose at acompression pressure of 5 kg/cm².

                  TABLE 1                                                         ______________________________________                                                         embodiment 1                                                 ______________________________________                                        position of sucking nozzle                                                                       alongside path line                                        distance between path line                                                                       10 mm                                                      and sucking opening                                                           succession % at                                                                             20 m/min 100                                                    each fiber speed                                                                           100 m/min 100                                                                 400 m/min 100                                                                 800 m/min 100                                                    operation efficiency                                                          ______________________________________                                    

Test results indicate the reason the success percentage of sucking forceapplied from the side of the path line is higher than that applied fromthe lower portion of the path line as follows: That is, since theoptical fiber is composed mainly of quartz glass, it is more rigid thanan ordinary fiber. Therefore, when it is broken, the free end of theoptical fiber does not hang vertically but takes a position as shown inFIG. 7. The free end of the optical fiber attains approximately ahorizontal level as the speed of the optical fiber becomes higher.Therefore, when the opening of the sucking nozzle is disposed near anddirectly below the path line, the optical fiber becomes distant from thesucking nozzle when it is broken. The faster the speed of the opticalfiber travels, the more distant the distance between the optical fiberand the sucking nozzle becomes, which makes it difficult for the suckingnozzle to suck the broken optical fiber. On the other hand, when thesucking nozzle is alongside of the path line, the distance between theopening of the sucking nozzle and the path line does not change beyondthe diameter of the opening of the sucking nozzle even though the travelpath of the optical fiber is changed. Thus, even though the opticalfiber travels at a high speed, the sucking nozzle is capable of easilysucking the broken optical fiber.

Apparently, the broken optical fiber can be sucked by the sucking nozzleeven though the sucking nozzle is out of the path line by placing thesucking nozzle at a position within the movable range of the path linewhich changes depending on the speed of the free end of the brokenoptical fiber. Theoretically, the greater and the diameter of theopening of the sucking opening is and the shorter the distance betweenthe opening of the sucking nozzle and the path line is, the morereliably the broken optical fiber can be sucked by the sucking nozzle ina wider range when the sucking nozzle is placed alongside the path line.

The relationship between the diameter of the opening of the suckingnozzle and success percentage of suction was examined. The diameters ofthe openings of sucking nozzles were 8, 22, 50, 75 mm. The optical fibertraveled at a speed of 20 to 800 m/min and forcibly broken with thesucking nozzles disposed alongside the path line. The sucking nozzleswere conventional ones. Air pressure was 5 kg/cm². The result is shownin Table 2.

                  TABLE 2                                                         ______________________________________                                                   embodi.                                                                              embodi.  embodi.  embodi.                                              2      1        3        4                                         ______________________________________                                        diameter of sucking                                                                         8 mm    22 mm    50 mm  75 mm                                   nozzle                                                                        distance between                                                                           10 mm    10 mm    10 mm  10 mm                                   path line and                                                                 sucking opening                                                               success  20      100      100    100    100                                   percentage at                                                                          m/min                                                                each speed of                                                                          100     90       100    100    100                                   optical fiber                                                                          m/min                                                                         400     40       100    100     50                                            m/min                                                                         800     10       100     70     0                                             m/min                                                                ______________________________________                                    

As Table 2 indicates, a sucking nozzle sucks the optical fiber mostreliably when the diameter of the opening thereof ranges from 22 to 50mm. The reason success percentage decreases when the diameter of theopening of the sucking nozzle is large is as follows: According to thetest, air pressure is constantly 5 kg/cm² irrespective of the diameterof the opening. Wind speed in the sucking nozzle having a large diameterin its opening becomes relatively low. Air quantity for sucking theoptical fiber is insufficient when the optical fiber travels at a highspeed. It may be supposed that the optical fiber can be sucked by asucking nozzle of a large-diameter opening by increasing the airpressure. But a large-diameter opening increases the cost of anequipment. As Table 2 shows, an opening less than 10 mm is ineffectivefor sucking the optical fiber. Favorably, the diameter of the opening ofthe sucking nozzle is at least 10 mm and more favorably, greater than 20mm.

The relationship between success percentage and the distance between theopening of the sucking nozzle and the path line was examined. Similarlyto Embodiment 1 of Table 1, the sucking nozzle was disposed alongsidethe path line and the optical fiber traveled at a speed of 20 to 800m/min and was forcibly cut except that the distance between the openingof the sucking nozzle and the path line varied from 5 mm to 50 mm.

The result is shown in Table 3.

                  TABLE 2                                                         ______________________________________                                                   embodi.                                                                              embodi.  embodi.  embodi.                                              5      1        6        7                                         ______________________________________                                        distance between                                                                           5 mm     10 mm    30 mm  50 mm                                   path line and                                                                 sucking opening                                                               success  20      100      100    100    100                                   percentage at                                                                          m/min                                                                each speed of                                                                          100     100      100    100    90                                    optical fiber                                                                          m/min                                                                         400     100      100     90    60                                             m/min                                                                         800     100      100     50     0                                             m/min                                                                ______________________________________                                    

As Table 3 indicates, if the distance between the opening of the suckingnozzle and the path line is smaller than 10 mm, the broken optical couldbe sucked by the sucking nozzle even though the speed of the opticalfiber is as high as 800 /min. The shorter the distance between theopening of the sucking nozzle and the path line is, the higher successpercentage is. But if the distance is very short, the sucking nozzle maycontact the traveling optical fiber. As a result, the optical fiber maybe damaged. Therefore, it is preferable that the distance between theopening of the sucking nozzle and the path line ranges from 5 to 10 mm.

According to the sucking device of the embodiment, the opening of thesucking nozzle is disposed in the movable range of the path line whichchanges according to the travel speed of the optical fiber. Accordingly,the broken optical fiber can be reliably sucked by the sucking deviceeven though the travel speed of the optical is varied.

The sucking nozzle is disposed alongside the path line and the openingof the sucking nozzle is perpendicular to the path line. Therefore, theend portion of the optical fiber can be easily mounted on the line bythe sucking nozzle in a short period of time. In addition, the wasteaccommodating box is installed on the sucking nozzle. Accordingly, fiberwaste can be reliably collected and prevented from being scattered.Thus, the sucking device may be effectively applied to a drawingmachine, a machine or rewinding machine.

FIG. 9 and 10 show a continuous winding apparatus according to anembodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 shows the procedure ofwinding an optical fiber. FIG. 12 shows the operation of processing anend portion of the optical fiber.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a winding reel 17 comprises a cylindricalwinding portion 51 for winding the optical fiber 12 and flanges 52 and53 integrally fixed to both sides of the winding portion 51. The shaft54 of the winding portion 51 is connected with an unshown pulse motor. Aguide roller 55 having a shaft perpendicular to the shaft 54 of thewinding reel 17 is disposed above the winding reel 17. The guide roller55 is moved by an unshown device in a direction along the shaft 54 ofthe winding reel 17.

A ball thread shaft 56 is disposed vertically alongside the winding reel17 and rotatably supported by a frame 57. The shaft of an unshowndriving motor is connected with one end of the ball thread shaft 56. Amoving member 58 is screwed into the ball thread shaft 56 and movesvertically by the rotation of the ball thread shaft 56.

Referring to FIG. 9, a piston cylinder 59 having a piston rod movabletoward the winding reel 17 is mounted on the moving member 58. Agripping portion 60 for gripping the optical fiber 12 and a cutter 61for cutting it are installed on the leading end of the piston rod. Aftera predetermined amount of the optical fiber 12 is wound around thewinding reel 17, the piston cylinder 59 is operated. As a result, theoptical fiber 12 is gripped by the gripping portion 60 and cut by thecutter 61.

A tape sticking device 62 is disposed alongside the ball thread shaft56. The tape sticking device 62 comprises a roller 66 around whichband-shaped paper 65 having a plurality of tapes 64 stuck thereto iswound; a driving roller 67 for winding the paper 65 around it; and apiston cylinder 68 for sticking the tape 64 to the end face of theflange 52 of the winding reel 17 by sucking the tape 64.

Slits 70 and 71 for taking out the end portion of the optical fiber 12wound around the winding portion 51 are formed on the flange 52 of thewinding reel 17. More specifically, the slits 70 and 71 are formed onthe periphery of the flange 52 of the winding reel 17 and spaced fromeach other by 180°. The slit 71 is deeper than the slit 70. The forwardend of the optical fiber 12 is inserted into the slit 71 and thebackward end thereof is inserted into the slit 70. A photoelectricsensor 69 serving as a means for detecting the position of the slit 70is disposed alongside the winding reel 17 and connected with a pulsemotor for driving the winding reel 17.

In order to replace the winding reel 17 having a sufficient amount ofthe optical fiber 12 wound around it, the photoelectric sensor 69detects the slit 71, thus outputting a signal indicating the detectedresult as shown in FIG. 12b. As a result, the pulse motor drives thewinding reel 17 at a slight speed. As shown in FIG. 12a, when the guideroller 55 is moved from a position above the winding portion 51 shown bya solid line to a position shown by a two-dot chain line, the opticalfiber 12 in sliding contact with the periphery of the flange 52 iscaught by the slit 71 when the optical fiber 12 is at a predeterminedposition shown by a two-dot chain line of FIG. 12. Consequently, theoptical fiber 12 is inserted into the slit 71. Then, the optical fiber12 is taken out from the winding reel 17 through the slit 70.

Then, as shown in FIG. 11a, the piston cylinder 68 of the tape stickingdevice 62 is operated and the tape 64 is sucked. Thereafter, as shown inFIG. 12b, the tape 64 is stuck to a predetermined position of the outersurface of the flange 52 of the winding reel 17 and the backward end ofthe optical fiber 12 is locked at the predetermined position of thesurface of the flange 52. Then, the piston cylinder 59 is operated sothat the gripping portion 60 grips the optical fiber 12 and the cutter61 cuts the gripped portion of the optical fiber 12 as shown in FIG.11b. Then, the winding reel 17 is replaced with the winding reel 17vacant of the optical fiber 12 by an unshown replacing device. Theflange 52 of the winding reel 17 locks the optical fiber 12 by means ofthe tape 64 at a position 20 cm distant from the backward end of theoptical fiber 12 supposing that the diameter of the winding reel 17 is40 cm. Therefore, the optical fiber 12 is not an obstacle to thetransportation of the winding reel 17.

The optical fiber 12 is wound around the winding reel 17 which hasreplaced the winding reel having the predetermined amount of the opticalfiber 12 wound around it. As shown in FIG. 11b, the backward end of thecut optical fiber 12 on the guide roll 55 side is gripped by thegripping portion 60. Then, the ball thread shaft 56 is rotated in thiscondition to move the moving member 58 downward. As a result, as shownin FIG. 11c, the backward end of the optical fiber 12 gripped by thegripping portion 60 is pulled downward. Then, similarly to the abovedescription, the piston cylinder 68 of the tape sticking device 62 isoperated to stick the tape 64 to the predetermined position of the outersurface of the flange 52 of the winding reel 17. Then, the backward endof the optical fiber 12 is locked at the predetermined position of theflange 52.

The optical fiber 12 is released from the gripping portion 60 and theball thread shaft 56 is rotated to be returned to the original position.The photoelectric sensor 69 detects the slit 71 and outputs a signalindicating the detected result to the pulse motor. In response to thesignal, the pulse motor drives the winding reel 17 at a slight speed asshown in FIG. 12b. When the guide roller 55 is moved from the positionshown by the two-dot chain line of FIG. 12a to the position above thewinding portion 51 shown by the solid line of FIG. 12a, the opticalfiber 12 in sliding contact with the periphery of the flange 52 iscaught by the slit 70 when the slit 70 is at the predetermined positionshown by the two-dot chain line of FIG. 12a. Then, the optical fiber 12is inserted into the slit 70. As a result, the optical fiber 12 isintroduced into an inner portion of the winding reel 17 through the slit70. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 11d, the winding reel 17 is rotated towind the optical fiber 12 around it.

The optical fiber 12 is wound continuously around the winding reel 17 byrepeating the above-described process. In this case, the forward end ofthe optical fiber 12 and the backward end thereof are taken out outwardfrom the flange 52 and stuck to the predetermined position of the flange52 with the tape 64. Thus, the end portions of the optical fiber 12 canbe reliably held by the winding reel 17. The end portions of the opticalfiber 12 are held by the flange 52 without using the flange 53 of theother side of the winding reel 17. Therefore, only one tape stickingdevice is used.

As described above, according to the continuous winding apparatus of thepresent invention, an optical fiber supported by the guide roller iswound around the rotatable winding reel an cut by the cutter. Then, theend portion of the optical fiber is held by the winding reel by means ofthe tape sticking device. Accordingly, the end portion of the opticalfiber is reliably held by the winding reel and as such, the opticalfiber does not become loose.

Further, slits are formed on the flange of the winding reel and themeans for detecting the position of one of the slits is provided. Whenthe winding reel is at a predetermined rotational position, the opticalfiber is inserted into the slit so as to hold the end portion of theoptical fiber on the outer surface of the flange by means of the tape.That is, the end portion of the optical fiber can be easily held by theapparatus of a simple construction.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an example of a winding reel, forwinding an optical fiber around the drum thereof, according to anembodiment of the present invention is wound.

Referring to FIG. 13, the winding reel comprises flanges 52 and 53, adrum 51, and two slits 70 and 71 formed on the flange 52. The length ofthe slit 71 is equal to the distance obtained by subtracting the radiusof the drum 51 from the radius of the flange 52. The bottom end of theslit 70 does not reach the cylindrical surface obtained by winding theoptical fiber 12 around the drum to the maximum (circumference (B)) asshown by one-dot chain line of FIG. 13.

The forward end portion 12a of the optical fiber 12 is locked at theouter surface of the flange 52 and then inserted through the slit 71.Thus, the optical fiber 12 is wound around the drum 51. The backward end12b of the optical fiber 12 which has been wound is inserted through theslit 70 and locked also on the outer surface of the flange 52. That is,the forward end and the backward end of the optical fiber 12 are lockedon the same plane. As disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open PublicationNo. 64-38379, the approach of the slits 70 and 71 to the optical fiber12 are detected by a sensor and then, a guide bar presses the opticalfiber 12 into or from the drum 51 through the slits 71 and 70.

As shown in FIGS. 15a through 15c or FIGS. 15a through 15d, the bottomend of the slit 70 does not reach the cylindrical surface obtained bywinding the optical fiber 12 around the drum to the maximum. Therefore,whether the optical fiber 12 is wound round the drum 51 in a smallamount (FIG. 15c) or in a large amount (FIG. 15d), the optical fiber 12is inserted through the slit 70 at the same position of the flange 52.Accordingly, it is unnecessary to adjust the positioning of the slit 70later by determining the tape-sticking position at the start. That is,the ends of the optical fiber can be easily held on the winding reel 17by only placing the tape sticking device aside the winding apparatus.The positioning of the slit 70 can be easily made by adjusting thefeeding length of the tape sticking hand 64 and the position of theguide roller 55.

There is a possibility that the position at which the forward end of theoptical fiber 12 is locked overlaps with the position at which thebackward end thereof is locked if both positions are near. Therefore,favorably, the line connecting the slit 70 and the center of the flange52 with each other makes an angle of more than 90° and more favorably,180° with the line connecting the slit 71 and the center of the flange52 with each other. In this manner, the forward end and the backward endof the optical fiber 12 do not interfere with each other. Preferably,the outer surface of the flange 52 is smooth so that the tape can beeasily stuck thereto.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a state in which the optical fiber12 has been wound around the drum of a winding reel according to anembodiment of the present invention.

In a conventional winding reel, it is necessary that a portion forwinding on the drum thereof the lead of the optical fiber several metersto several tens of meters is provided to evaluate the characteristic ofthe optical fiber 12. FIG. 14 shows a winding reel having the leadwinding 10 portion.

Two slits 70 and 71 are formed on an intermediate flange 52 dividing thedrum into a portion 19 for winding the lead and a portion 20 for windingthe optical fiber 12 as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14. The end portions ofthe optical fiber 12 are locked on the outer surface of the intermediateflange 52. In order to prevent the hand of the tape sticking device fromcontacting a flange 75 of the portion 19, it is desirable that thediameter of the flange 75 is smaller than that of the intermediateflange 52 and high enough to prevent the optical fiber 12 wound on thelead winding portion 19 from falling from the drum. Thus, the typesticking hand 64 can be easily approached to the winding reel and theoptimum tape-sticking position can be easily set.

The manufacturing equipment of the optical fiber such as a drawingequipment, a coloring equipment and a rewinding equipment means allprocesses including the process for winding the optical fiber around thewinding reel.

The winding reel according to the present invention is composed of ABSresin, polypropylene resin or other engineering plastic and processed byinjection molding. Otherwise, the flange and the drum may be separatelyproduced and combined later.

As described above, according to the winding reel of the presentinvention, the forward end and backward end of the optical fiber arelocked on the same plane and the backward end thereof can be locked atthe same position irrespective of the length of the optical fiber whichhas been wound around the drum of the winding reel.

Although the present invention has been fully described in connectionwith the preferred embodiments thereof with reference to theaccompanying drawings, it is to be noted that various changes andmodifications are apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes andmodifications are to be understood as included within the scope of thepresent invention as defined by the appended claims unless they departtherefrom.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for sucking a free end of atraveling optical fiber having a sucking nozzle disposed downstream of acapstan wheel around which the traveling optical fiber is wound, inwhich a sucking opening of said sucking nozzle is disposed within arange of movement of a path line of the free end of the optical fiber,said path line moving within the range of movement in accordance with aspeed of travel of the optical fiber, said path line extending within aplane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of said capstan wheel, saidsucking nozzle positioned perpendicular to the plane of the path line.2. The apparatus for sucking a free end of an optical fiber according toclaim 1, further comprising a waste accommodation box associated withsaid sucking nozzle for receiving and retaining optical fiber.
 3. Theapparatus for sucking a optical fiber according to claim 1, an innerdiameter of a sucking opening of said sucking nozzle being equal to orgreater than 10 millimeters.
 4. The apparatus for sucking an opticalfiber according to claim 1, a distance between a sucking opening of saidsucking nozzle and the plane of the path line of the free end of theoptical fiber is less than 10 millimeters.
 5. An apparatus for sucking afree end of a traveling optical fiber having a sucking nozzle disposeddownstream of a capstan wheel around which the traveling optical fiberis wound, in which said sucking nozzle is disposed within a range ofmovement of a path line of the free end of the optical fiber, said pathline moving within a range of movement in accordance with a speed oftravel of the optical fiber, said path line extending within a planeperpendicular to a longitudinal axis of said capstan wheel, said suckingnozzle positioned alongside the plane of the path line of said opticalfiber, an opening of said sucking nozzle positioned out of andtransverse to the plane of the path line.
 6. An apparatus for sucking anoptical fiber as defined in claim 5, wherein the inner diameter of thesucking opening of said sucking nozzle is 10 mm or more.
 7. An apparatusfor sucking an optical fiber as defined in claim 5, wherein the distancebetween the sucking opening of said sucking nozzle and said path line ofthe optical fiber is less than 10 mm.
 8. The apparatus for sucking anoptical fiber according to claim 5, further comprising a fiberaccommodating box associated with said sucking nozzle for receiving andretaining optical fiber.
 9. A method for providing an apparatus forsucking a free end of an optical fiber, said method comprising:providinga capstan wheel around which the optical fiber is wound; providing asucking nozzle downstream of said capstan wheel along a path line ofmovement of the free end of the optical fiber, the free end of theoptical fiber moving within a range of movement of a path line inaccordance with a speed of movement of the free end of the opticalfiber, a plane of movement of the free end of the optical fiber beingdefined by the path line of the optical fiber and extendingperpendicularly to a longitudinal axis of the capstan wheel, andpositioning the sucking nozzle perpendicular to the plane of movement ofthe free end of the optical fiber.
 10. The method for providing anapparatus for sucking a free end of an optical fiber according to claim9, the step of providing a sucking nozzle includes accommodating wastefibers within the sucking nozzle.
 11. The method for providing anapparatus for sucking a free end of an optical fiber according to claim9, wherein positioning of the sucking nozzle includes positioning anopening of the sucking nozzle transverse to the plane of the movement ofthe free end of the optical fiber.